THE REDUCTION OF THE AGE OF CRIMINAL RESPONSIBILITY AND THE VIOLATION OF THE PRINCIPLE OF EQUALITY: THE PECULIAR CONDITION OF THE INDIVIDUAL IN DEVELOPMENT AS A CONSTITUTIVE ELEMENT OF TEENAGER IDENTITY

Abstract

The research analyzes the reduction of the age of criminal responsibility in the Brazilian Proposed Constitutional Amendment n. 171/93 as a violation of the principle of equality. One of the goals is to demonstrate that the suppression of fundamental rights by majority vote that affects the essential core of the Constitution is not compatible with constitutionalism. Lowering the age of criminal responsibility ignores a constitutive element of teenager identity, which is the peculiar condition of the individual in development. The paper intends to demonstrate that the approval of PCA n. 171/93 symbolizes a setback regarding fundamental rights in a democratic state. This research adopted the deductive method and used literature and jurisprudence that are relevant on the subject. Finally, it concludes that the approval of PCA n. 171/93 implies a violation of the principle of equality, because majority deliberation affects fundamental rights linked to the identity of a minority and, consequently, the very human dignity.